You enjoy a well-deserved reputation for spotting bands that become the next big thing.  Are there any local Philadelphia bands you follow?  What special qualities do you see in a buzz band?

CD:  I still follow any bands that I used to play on Street Beat who are still active. To name a few - The Badlees (just saw Pete Paladino at the Point), Tom Gillam (formerly of Radio Rodeo, Gypsy Rose), Isle of Q, Kenn Kweder, Scot Bricklin, Derek Chafin's band Superstatic (formerly X's and O's and The Darrows), any of the WNOC guys, and of course Tommy Conwell.  Buzz bands always have three things - songs, performance, and people talking about them.

You have been quoted, "Tommy Conwell was the first Street Beat graduate to make a success of himself."  What was your reaction when you first heard Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers? 

CD:  I remember hearing about Tommy Conwell - "You gotta see this guy!"  The first time I saw him was at the 23 East in Ardmore and I remember laughing, he was so much fun to watch.  During his guitar solos, he'd run off stage and into the ladies room!   He was obviously talented and he had that all-important charisma.

This is the chicken or the egg question...Which came first, the great bands or the exposure to local music on the radio?  What made the 1980's so special in Philadelphia?

CD:  The great bands came first, then the radio airplay.  The 80's were special because things were still organic then.  We didn't have as many choices for entertainment the way we do today with the Internet, video games, DVD's, etc.  There were more interactions in person with people going out to clubs to see live music.   Robert Hazard, The Hooters, Bricklin, Cinderella, Heaven's Edge, and Tommy Conwell were just some of the bands getting record deals then and creating excitement.

Are you still nostalgic regarding the bands you helped gain exposure on Street Beat?  Which five local bands or recordings would you include in your Desert Island Classics?

CD:  I do get nostalgic about the show but that was then and this is now.   I think I'd search through the many tapes I have of my Street Beat shows and take five that had the best music or interviews on them.   The last Street Beat show would be one of them because I featured some of the highlights of the show's ten-year history.  Plus some of my favorite people came by to perform or just talk on the air --Eric and Rob of the Hooters, WNOC, Wanderlust, the Bricklins, Buzz Barkley, Pierre Robert and more.

WMMR had a big blowout at the Spectrum on Thanksgiving Eve 2001 with David Lee Roth, Fuel, and the reunited Hooters to celebrate Pierre Robert's 20th anniversary.  Tell me about the Hooters?

CD:  It was great to see the Hooters perform for the first time in eight years!  I liked the way Rob Hyman started their show by playing  "My Country 'tis of Thee" on the melodica (aka the hooter) alone on stage.  In all the patriotic music since September 11th, I hadn't heard that one.